Cambridge City Council

Richard Robertson, who represents Petersfield at Cambridge City Council, said: “Unfortunately, the area around East Road is a hot spot for anti-social behaviour. Last summer, we had endless examples of drinking in Petersfield Green. Although the police were called by residents, they often did not turn up, which is a problem for residents.

“There are three children’s play areas nearby. There are instances of intimidation from drunks in this area.”

Cllr Robertson said it is important to recognise there are “problems” in the area. He said one of the problems is that people do not drink on premises, but take their drinks away to drink “in the streets” or nearby.

There are several children's play areas near the Tesco Express (Image: Google Maps)

A spokesman for Tesco said they aimed to be a “good neighbour” and a “responsible retailer”. They noted the area had improved a lot since previous applications were rejected by the council, and pointed out that the police had not put in an objection to the scheme.

Cllr Tim Bick, who represents market ward in Cambridge, however, said “legitimate questions” remain over whether there had been any improvements in the area.

Cllr Bick said he did not believe there was enough evidence to say problems in the area had reduced or gone away, and said he thought the situation was too complex to simply say the absence of an objection from the police is enough.

The application was rejected on the basis it would “likely” impact on the existing problems in the area.